Talk:Shay Carl Butler/@comment-168.70.32.135-20180619110505
First Ride “Chit chat”, “Chit chat”, “Chit chat”... I wasn’t the type of person who would eavesdrop in every single conversation while waiting in line for a ride, especially during the holidays. Not like I don’t do it naturally though. ' '“You’re growing up now,” I once heard. “Mom, I’m scared!”, “Next please!”... I was waiting in a packed queue on a packed Sunday afternoon in the midst of Six Flags, I remember. As for the name of the ride, well, I’m not too sure of what the name of that particular one was. But, for all I knew, about almost everyone queue up in front and behind me were tourists. In fact, one seemingly jubilant mom tried to barge past the line. She was sent back though. The queue edged on, like a crawling caterpillar, towards the platforms where the carriages were. Staff ushered riders, with a roller coaster of emotions, into their seats, including me. I got the privilege of sitting at the front. ''' '''I could smell the sinister smell of burning charcoal. The cogs turned, clickety clack. The gates closed, albeit quite abruptly. We were trapped animals in cages. There was no backing out. ‘I signed up for this’, I thought to myself. “GET READY FOR THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME!”, I was thrown back a meter by a loudspeaker under my seat. Before I could even recover from that, the coaster was launched down a precipitous ramp, before diving under a bridge. Boy, was the headroom low!--- I thought it would be slow at first, but apparently not. My face was numb from the sudden gust of wind that accompanied the hasty start. It was as if I was sitting behind a jet engine on a jumbo jet. Goodness gracious, the wind though! ; Not to mention being plunged into darkness. Time slowed down. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes became hours. The screams of a dozen riders’ vocal cords echoed along the thin, tight tunnel. The centrifugal forces were squeezing my blood towards my feet now. We were launched into a hump. My pupils contracted from the bright daylight, like an overexposed camera. ''' '''Why is my hair stinging? In my peripheral vision, I made out a large, blonde heavy set lady dressed in purple. She was absolutely petrified---and was grabbing onto my hair! That lasted for a few seconds; no, minutes. My palms were sweating, feet trembling. I was clutching the handlebars so hard (and I’m sure everyone was too!) that there were claw marks on it. ' '''Oh no! My worst fear has come--- Air time! ' 'The roller coaster reached the summit of the hump. The howling winds whistled into my ear. Then, all hell broke loose--- literally. Hair stood up, and my stomach dropped. People’s bottoms were an inch off their seat! I was controlled by a giant’s grip. As we reached the trough of the wave, a moment of glory, a moment of calm emotions; a flat section of rusty rail. All sorts of fancy components were bolted under the tracks. A wheel-like shape that turned on each side, and a chain, akin to a bicycle chain that ran along the middle of the rails. ' '''Is the ride over? ...Pop, crash, woosh! Life is full of surprises you know, it pushes you in one direction and manipulates you however it wishes. My heart was pounding out of my chest now. Another forty five degree incline, and that was all it took for everyone to start screaming out their throat. As if that wasn’t enough, the coaster was flying sideways! I prayed that I wouldn’t fall out, hoping that my seat belt was secure enough. I guess it takes bravery to explore the unknown. My composure became intensely, my adrenaline was gushing. I couldn’t even let out a scream! ''' '''Yes, Yes! I see it, the beginning of the end! The roller coaster seemed to know my intentions, for it picked up speed. I could hear it working its hefty muscles. I’ve got tunnel vision. It’s coming. Finally… Screech! A moment or two of stunned silence filled the air around me. Nobody moved, until we were extracted, one by one out of the carriage by the same member of staff that brought us in. ' '“Enjoyed the ride?” “Awesome!” “Can we have another go?” 'So. That was it. What was once a child’s heart, intimidated by an amusement park ride, has now come to face it. '